During the day, the Blackhawk Bluff neighborhood off Girvin Road is peaceful and empty.
Deflated Christmas decorations nap on lawns and lights hibernate around tree limbs and along porch railings.
As the sun retires, the neighborhood transforms into a gleaming holiday spectacle, attracting hundreds of visitors and creating quite the traffic jam.
Jennifer Seymour, treasurer of the Blackhawk Bluff Civic Association, described the scene as a traffic hazard.
But like many Blackhawk residents, Seymour still wants to share the Christmas spirit. She said it's just a matter of making the spectacle safe for the community.
"We love for the people to come out and look," said Seymour. "But we need some help moving the traffic around with someone in charge. We can't do it ourselves."
Seymour said people expressed concern over traffic congestion in the past, and many others living farther down Girvin Road spend up to an hour trying to get home from work.
"A lot of people have asked about traffic control. I had an officer call me the other day while he was stuck in traffic. He offered his services to us to provide two police officers," Seymour said. "We're discussing it now."
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office recommended the neighborhood hire off-duty officers for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Dec. 24, when traffic is expected to be at its worst.
Some Blackhawk residents are donating anywhere from $10 to $40 to offset the cost of the officers.
Resident Regan Askwith, 68, said he loves the Christmas bustle, and he supports donating money toward traffic control.
"I don't mind giving to that cause. It would be a good idea to have some police officers around here directing traffic, rather than something dangerous maybe happening," Askwith said.
Askwith spent five days decorating his yard and said he didn't mind the traffic one bit.
"Sure, it's a little inconvenient at times, but it's only at the holidays, and it's Christmas," Askwith said. "It's great, it's really wonderful. It's a tradition we've been doing for years."
Although resident Jeri Taylor, 72, doesn't plan on donating, she admitted the traffic is phenomenal.
"There's traffic up and down, up and down," she exclaimed. "Buses come, big yellow buses full of people. Every night until after Christmas, you can't get through here."
Taylor's yard is another gem of holiday cheer, boasting decorated pigs and owls, and a stream of yard lights.
The tradition has been going on for as long as she can remember. She said people from 20 and 30 miles away come to view the neighborhood's display.
"Almost all of the houses are decorated, and at night it's really something to see. There's Christmas music playing and people are excited," Taylor said. "It's beautiful and it makes people happy."
